1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sealing device for rotating shaft, intended to prevent leaks of a lubricant medium at a bearing supporting the shaft of a machine, this device including, for this purpose, between stationary parts and rotating parts of the machine, a seal carrier mounted in sealed manner on a stationary part, this seal carrier carrying at least one first annular seal surrounding the shaft and provided with a flexible sealing lip capable of providing sealed contact with a rotating bearing surface integral with said shaft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When an oil leak or leak of some other lubricant medium is detected in such a device, it is necessary to dismantle certain components, especially the seal carrier, in order to replace the defective seal with a new seal. In general, in effect, leaks result from wear or some other damage of the lip of the annular seal, irrespective of the care with which the rotating bearing surface of the shaft is made; the leak is rarely the result of deterioration of this bearing surface. Nevertheless, changing a seal still represents an operation which takes time and requires the machine equipped with the shaft in question to be immobilized for some length of time, which may represent a considerable drawback, aside from the increase in the cost of maintaining the machine.